PTO attorney downsizing
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office will lay off more than one-third of its trademark examining attorneys by Sept. 30 due to a substantial decline in trademark applications, PTO says. The office currently employs 383 examining trademark attorneys; up to 135 positions will be eliminated. From 1994 through 2000, trademark applications increased in double digits, peaking in 2000 with more than 375,000 submissions. However, applications fell 21% in 2001, marking the largest decrease ever, office states. PTO anticipates about 250,000 trademark applications for 2002...